Officials: France in Mali till July or later

By JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press

Thursday, February 28, 2013

PARIS (AP) — French troops will stay in the West African country of Mali at least until July as Islamic extremists there put up a tougher fight than expected, officials have told The Associated Press, despite the government’s promises to begin a quick pullout within weeks.

The French government has painted the intervention against al-Qaida-backed radicals in Mali as a quick and limited one, and said that France could start withdrawing its 4,000 troops in Mali in March and hand over security duties to an African force.

But the combat in rugged Sahara Desert mountains is growing harder, and there’s a rising threat that the militants will turn to suicide bombings, hostage-taking and other guerrilla tactics.

One French diplomat acknowledged this week that a French military presence is expected to remain for at least six months. Two other French officials told The Associated Press that the French will remain at least until July, when France is hoping Mali can hold elections.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the military campaign.

Any French pullout in March is likely to be small and symbolic, leaving behind a robust force to try to keep the peace in a poor, weak and troubled country, the officials say. Mali was largely peaceful until a coup last year led to a political vacuum that allowed militants inspired by an extreme form of Islam to grab control of the country’s north.

France, which is winding down its 11-year presence in Afghanistan, has now spent more than (euro) 100 million ($131million) on fighting in Mali over the past six weeks, and is facing the prospect of another protracted and costly intervention against far-away jihadists.

France’s defense minister this week seems to be seeking wiggle room on the timetable for a pullout. And one French diplomat acknowledged: “Nobody believes the French presence will be over in six months.” Some analysts say even that’s optimistic.

Military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said Thursday that about 1,200 French, 800 Chadian and an unspecified number of Malian troops are closing in on an unspecified number of extremist fighters in a roughly 25-square kilometer (15-mile) zone in the Adrar des Ifoghas range near the Algerian border in northeastern Mali.

The oval-shaped area south of the town of Tessalit is the “center of gravity” of a new French operation involving helicopter gunships, fighter jets, mobile artillery pieces and armored vehicles, Burkhard said. He declined to provide details because the operation was ongoing, but indicated that French fighters had killed about 40 insurgents over the last week or so.

Burkhard said he believes al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb was active in the area. AQIM is one of three militant groups that controlled northern Mali for 10 months before France’s Jan. 11 invasion sent them scurrying into rural areas. And he left little doubt that the armed extremists, who have hidden underground or beneath the sparse vegetation, are digging in for a long fight.